Child&#39;s chair protector with bib feature



April 22, 1952 G. E. M KEWEN CHILDS CHAIR PROTECTOR WITH BIB FEATUREFiled June 50, 1949 TOR. 6001' 01. M12100! IVE Patented Apr. 22, 1952CHILD'S CHAIR PROTECTOR WITH BIB FEATURE George E. McKewen, Baltimore,Md. Application June 30, 1949, Serial No. 102,294

(Cl. H9)

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a combined protector for a childs safety chairand the child sitting in the chair, designed to protect the table andthe clothing of the child from being soiled by spilled food or drink.

The safety chair for which the subject protector is especially adaptedis of the type having a rectangular table supported by four legs, withthe childs seat arranged beneath an opening in said table, inset withrespect to the perimeter of said table so as to be stably located withinthe base of support.

The general obj ect of the invention is to provide a protective coverfor the top of the table substantially congruent with the area of thetop exclusive of the aforementioned opening, adapted to lie flatthereupon, having a perimetric flange perpendicular to the table topextending about the four corners of the table for positioning the cover,and having means for tensioning the free margins of said flange forholding the cover in place, and to provide a bib flap unitary with thetable engaging portion of said cover adapted to extend upward therefromat the forward end of said opening and in protective relation to theclothing of the child.

Other objects of the invention will appear as a preferred and practicalembodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawings which accompany and illustrate the followingspecification, and throughout the several figures of which the samereference characters have been employed to denote identical parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the protector in its relation to thesafety table and child;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the protector;

Figure 3 is a section through the safety table and protector, takenalong the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a corner of thesafety table with the contiguous portion of the protector, parts beingbroken away.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral I representsthe protector as a whole, which is made from a sheet of waterproofflexible material, preferably plastic coated or impregnated. The tablewhich it is adapted to fit has a rectangular peripheral frame 2 to whichthe top 3 is secured, there being four folding legs 4 at the corners.The top 3 has a rectangular opening 5 inset from all four sides of thetable, being closer to the back edge than the front, giving a broadeating or playing surface at the front. The seat 6 is located beneaththe opening. The frame 2, together with the coincident'edges of thetable top give an appreciable thickness dimension to the vertical edgeof the table.

Although the protector is preferably an integral sheet, it may bedescribed as having a front portion 1, lying forwardly of the opening 5,and lateral extensions 8 at the side of said opening, extendingrearwardly to the back of the table, so that in eifect it is U-shaped.The front portion I and the lateral extensions 8 lie flat upon the tabletop and congruently therewith. A peripheral flange 9 extends about theouter perimeter of the front portion 1 and lateral extensions 8,perpendicular to the table top, said flange being closed at the cornersand being fitted over the edge of the table. There is a gap in thecontinuity of the flange 9 between the extensions 8 at the back. Thisgap is bridged by the tie strings I0, secured to the respective ends ofthe flange, and which may be drawn taut and tied to secure the protectorin tensioned engagement with the table.

Bands H of elastic tape subtend the corner of the flange 9, beingsecured to the free edges of said flange at opposite sides of thecorner. These bands form with the corner portions of the flange 9pockets receiving the respective corners of the table. The bands H areof such length as to be slightly tensioned when they embrace the cornersof the table. This puts a stress upon the longitudinal free edges of theflange 9, which resists attempts on the part of the child to displacethe protector.

The protector includes a bib flap l2 which in use is divertable out ofthe plane of the portions 1 and 8 along a transverse line across thebight of the U-shaped flat portion, so as to come up against the frontof the child. Gores l3 are set in on each side at the apex of the angleof divergence of the bib flap from the table engaging portion of theprotector, said gores being of such fullness as to permit the bib flapto be substantially perpendicular to the plane of the table top. Thegores close the angular space between the bib flap and the extensions 8,forming shields that shed onto the flat portion of the protector anyfood debris that may be dropped upon them.

The bib flap is shaped with a front neck line l3, and provided with rearshoulder panels seamed to the bib flap along the shoulder lines at l5from neck to armhole, said panels being stitched at one lower end to theadjacent edge of the bib flap at a point near the gore. This completesthe armhole. The shoulder panels While I have in the above descriptiondis- 7 closed what I believe to be a preferred and practical embodimentof my invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatthe specific details of construction and arrangement of parts are by wayof example and not necessarily to be construed as limitations of theinvention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Child and table protector comprising a flat rectangular flexiblewaterproof sheet member having a substantially rectangular recessequidistant from. its side edges, defining lateral panels, extendingforwardly to a transverse line adjacent the middle of said sheet member,said sheet member having a depending flange about its outer perimeterboxing its outside corners adapting it to be fitted down over the foursides of a rectangular table top, an elastic band extending obliquely ofeach corner of said sheet member secured at its ends to the free edge ofsaid flange at points on opposite sides of the apex of saidv corner,means'for bridging said recess at the rear for tethering said lateralpanels, a bib unitary with said sheet member deflectable upwardly fromthe plane of said side panels along said transverse line, said bibhaving armholes, and gores in the angles at the base of said bib unitedto said bib along the sides of said bib up to points at the under sideof said armholes, and united to said sheet member along the side edgesof said recess, whereby when said bib is deflected upwardly against thefront of a child, it is held close to the sides of the child by saidgores, the latter acting as protective closures of the angles betweensaid upwardly deflected bib and said side panels.

2. Child and table protectorcomprising a flat rectangular flexiblewaterproof sheet member having a substantially rectangular recessequidistant from its side edges, defining lateral panels, extendingforwardly to a transverse line adjacent the middle of said sheet member,said sheet member having a depending flange about its outer perimeterboxing its outside corners adapting it to be fitted down over the foursides of a rectangular table top, an elastic band extending obliquely ofeach corner of said sheet member secured at its ends to the free edge ofsaid flange at points on opposite sides of the apex of said corner,means for bridging said recess at the rear for tethering said lateralpanels, a bib unitary with said sheet member deflectable upwardly fromthe plane of said side panels along side transverse line, said bib beingcut with a neck recess at the top, shoulder panels stitched to said biblaterally of said neck recess and to the outer edges of said bib belowsaid neck recess to form armholes, and gores in the angles at the baseof said bib united to said bib along the sides of said bib up to pointsat the under sides of said armholes, and to said sheet member along theside edges of said recess, whereby when said bib is upwardly deflectedagainst the front of a child it is held close to the sides of the childby said gores, the latter acting as protective closures of the anglesbetween said upwardly deflected bib and said side panels.

GEORGE E. McKEWEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,684,173 Diamond et a1. Sept.11, 1928 2,321,670 Gibson June 15, 1943 2,362,465 Carner Nov. 14, 1944

